—That’s why Rinko didn’t properly carry out the orders that she didn’t agree with.
Every day she would just give the same report that Shinichi was ‘only a normal boy’, though of course, she did change some parts of the report to avoid suspicion.
The only times she would give an accurate report was with an event like this morning when things were looking a little dangerous.
But even after doing all this, Rinko was still uneasy. She wasn’t sure if this was enough to fool that insistent superior of hers.

“No, everything will be alright. I will protect him,” Rinko muttered to herself.

They were only mother and child in name, and he would never call her mother. So, what reason was there for her to consider him family or to try and protect him? And yet…

If a reason had to be given, then it was because he was her husband’s son. To her that was enough. Moreover, seeing how he erased all emotions from his face as he tried to endure everything greatly stimulated her motherly instincts. It was a stimulation especially effective to someone like her who had just become a mother.

“Hmm? Did you say something?” Nobuhiko asked.

“Huh? O-Oh, it’s nothing!
I was just wondering what Shinichi would like to have for lunch,” Rinko said, flushed, as she tried to quickly mend the situation.

Nobuhiko seemed to look at her oddly, as if to say, ‘Didn’t we just have breakfast? Why are you thinking of lunch already?’ But in the next moment, he suddenly looked as if he’d understood, leaving Rinko with an ill foreboding.

“Oh, yeah. You were a glutton, weren’t you?
You don’t have to think so much of Shinichi. You can just cook what you want,” Nobuhiko said as he nodded.

“Huh? I-I’m not a glutton!
It’s true I eat a little more than other people, but that’s only because I use more energy!” Rinko argued, her face, beet red.

Even though he knew that she was concerned about having to eat so much due to her job.

“Really now?
When we first met, didn’t you clear that huge serving of steak within the time limit to keep the bill free? If I recall correctly, you easily cleared it too—”

“—Wahhh!!
Don’t say that in front of the children! It’s embarrassing!”

Rinko intentionally made her voice louder to keep the children from hearing, but she failed to notice that doing so only made their topic more conspicuous.

Nobuhiko seemed to be enjoying the whole thing, as he continued to tease her even more.

“Isn’t it fine?
After all, it’s because of my surprise that time that we were able to meet.”

“I don’t want to hear of a love story that started with that!”

Rinko cried ‘wah’ and ‘kyaa’ as if to say enough is enough, but Nobuhiko seemed to be having the time of his life, as he continued to tease her even more.

As they say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Shinichi had indeed inherited this man’s genes, the amaryllis thought to herself as she listened to the married couple’s conversation.

“……Even though they’re flirting right in front of their children, huh…”

“Uu uu, ah?”

Meanwhile, their son was sighing to himself, troubled, as he held his still too young brother upside down, unsure whether he understood what was going or not.

Although his parent’s loving interaction put a smile on his face, he also couldn’t help but worry at the same time.

He had clearly heard what she said from behind, and now he wondered how he should deal with it.

He smiled faintly as he patted Shinji on the head, as he comforted the sadness that could not be comforted.

—A happiness and family that was born because I wasn’t around, huh.

Although the happy family indeed painted a warm image, at the same time, it was a little painful.